Solar Power

A solar power producing system requires a handful of major components: solar panels which convert sunlight into electricity, a charge controller which manages the power production of the solar panels, an inverter to convert DC (direct current) output from the charge controller into 120V (volt) AC (alternating current) for home use, and batteries to store the power your system produced. Solar power production involves no moving parts. A system may use some or all of these components. There are three combinations readily used.

Grid Tied

Your home or business remains connected directly to the power grid through the local utility company.
You use a combination of solar power produced and grid supplied electricity.
AC power produced by the inverter is directly fed into your electrical system.
When the sun shines, you use the solar power produced first followed by grid supplied power.
At night and during cloudy weather the grid supplies all your power.
When the sun shines and you use no power, your electric meter spins backwards as solar power feeds into the grid.
The goal is to produce as much power as you use over a twelve month period without supplying excess power to the grid for free.
During a blackout your home is without power.

Off Grid

No connection to a power company (the grid).
Extra power produced during sunny days is stored in batteries for later use.
Usually, the system includes a backup generator for extended cloudy periods.
One common application involves transferring refrigeration, heat and emergency lighting to a circuit breaker subpanel fed by an off grid system. This isolates them from the remaining grid tied system. They function during a blackout.

Grid Tied with Battery Backup

This is a complex and most flexible solar electrical system.
Produce power sufficient for current consumption and charging batteries for use during non sunlit periods.
Rely on the grid as a power backup.
Continue operating with power even if the grid fails.